“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) KJV

THE LOVE OF GOD: The Father’s Love

“For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” (John 16:27)

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1)

In the Book of Genesis chapter one and verse one, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Moses gives the very first mention of God in the Bible.

He didn’t use the ancient Hebrew word “El” for God which is singular, nor did he use the word “Eloi” which has a more dual meaning.

“Eloi” is the word for God that Jesus used from the cross when He cried, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) referring to the Father and the Holy Ghost.

But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Moses used the Hebrew word “Elohiym” for God, which is plural.

This is in reference to what the Bible calls the Godhead but many Biblical scholars call “the Trinity”, which is the Father, the Son (the Word), and the Holy Ghost.

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1John 5:7)

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” (Col. 2:8-10)

This is why God says of Himself in Genesis chapter one and verse 26,

“And God said, Letus make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Gen. 1:26)

Whether the words “El”, Eloi”, or “Elohiym” are used, they are all words used to describe the Supreme Being, the Creator, the Most High God, and God Almighty (El Shadday).

It wasn’t until God met Moses in the burning bush that He revealed His eternal name and memorial to His chosen people.

“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?” (Exo. 3:13)

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exo. 3:14)

“And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” (Exo. 3:15)

“And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty (El Shadday), but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.” (Exo. 6:2-3)

Knowing the name of God was important to the people of Israel because an individual’s name in Biblical times gave an indication of their character, ability, or heritage.

The Hebrew word for “the Lord” is the word “Jehovah” which means “the self-existent one”. We shall talk more about the name Jehovah and how it pertains to Christ in the next chapter.

Before Moses, all of the various names for God were used to signify the Supreme Being, the Creator of all mankind and of all that exists.

It wasn’t until God revealed Himself to Moses as the Lord (Jehovah) that He began to have a specific relationship with a certain group of people in a special way.

Now no longer was He the far away God of all mankind, or the Friend of a certain few, such as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But now He was Jehovah, the Lord God of Israel. He was the Lord over a certain people whom He separated from the rest of the world in order that He might show Himself mighty on their behalf and they would be special in His eyes.

Then God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into the world.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

God sent His Son into the world so that the world would know Him as not only the Creator of all mankind, or even as the Lord of a certain group or nation of people, but He sent Jesus Christ into the world so that through Christ every man, woman, boy, or girl could know God as their Heavenly Father.

Jesus said of Himself that He is the only way to know God as the Father.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

When we are born again, we are adopted into the family of God and God becomes our Father.

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:15)

And as your Heavenly Father, He loves you, cares for you, and watches over you.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Mat 10:29-31)

God has promised that since He is our Father, He desires to give us all things that we need for life and godliness.

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32)

All He asks is that even as it is with a son that loves and admires his earthly father and wants to be like him, that we would want to be like our Heavenly Father also.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Mat. 5:48)

Here the Greek word for “perfect” is the word that means “complete”, as in “full growth, complete stature”.

If we want to be as perfect or complete as our Heavenly Father, then we need to strive to be like Christ, for Jesus said, “I and my Father are one.”

Jesus Christ is our example.

How can we be like Christ?

We can become like Christ by getting to know and understand Him through the written Word of God, asking ourselves in every situation “What would Jesus do?”, submitting every area of our life to the power of the Holy Spirit, and then making the right choice and doing it.

If we will do this, we will pass from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord, being conformed into His image, and we shall intimately know God as our Heavenly Father.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2Cor. 3:18)

Next- THE LOVE OF GOD: The Greatest Love of All

All twelve books in the “How to Walk Christian Series” by Raymond Candy are available now in one collection of two volumes for $6.99 each at bn.com for the NOOK, amazon.com for the KINDLE, on iTunes at the iBookstore for the iPad and iPhone, and at Lulu.com for the PC and all e-reading devices